Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier said that Turkey would not accept an autonomous Kurdish area in Syria, fearing separatist Kurds in Turkey would use it as a safe-haven to launch cross-border attacks.

Kurdish control of these border areas are an apparent consequence of the chaos of Syria’s internal conflict, in which the US and its allies are sending aid, intelligence, and weapons to the Syrian rebels, despite numerous crimes and ties to terrorist groups.

Turkish military intervention against the Assad regime came close to being a reality back a few months ago when Syria downed a Turkish fighter jet that went into Syrian airspace. Turkey has shown little hesitation to attack its neighbors if they feel their Kurdish threat demands it, as cross-border attacks into Iraq’s Kurdish region in recent months has shown.

If Turkey, a NATO member, involves itself in the Syrian conflict in a direct and belligerent way, it could have far reaching consequences, with possible implications of a US intervention.

Author: John Glaser

This is an incredible bluff. The Turks hopefully realize that this may force everyone's hand, and if that hand is forced, the entire region from Pakistan to the Balkans will become exponentially unstable. The Turks should remember that their alignment with the Central Powers was a terrible mistake and this current crisis should awaken those past concerns. Hopefully Turkey senses this is bait, and they back away from this madness, especially when it involves Russia.

conumishu

Could you clarify? Aligning with Central Powers as a terrible mistake was mentioned as a warning not to align with (the already aligned with) today's NATO? And how could Turkey avoid being involved, even more so since then it lost an empire but now was (sort of) promised one.

Louis Farshee

Turkey's alignment with the Central Powers and its subsequent defeat by the Allies is the single biggest reason for the current situation in the Middle East. Had the Turks (Ottomans) remained out of the war Syria would not have been partitioned into the states of Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. However, the Armenian Genocide would have probably occurred because the February 1914 Armenian Reform Act (pressed by Russia and Great Britian) called for the creation of an Armenian state in the heartland of the Republic of Turkey. The Ottomans viewed an Armenian state as an existential threat to their Empire.

Louis Farshee

patriothere

I feel like we are on the verge of WW3. It's happening in real time. The obama adminstration is trying to control the arab spring? This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever seen! Do they realize the blowback they will get from this? Pick your city! By handing over syria to al quaeda he is guaranteeing that the arab spriong will be anti american. He is endangering national security.

jeff_davis

How ironic would that be? Granting the Kurds their freedom is the provocation that starts a war. You can't make this stuff up.

Ben_C

It's only natural for brutal 'Dictators' to voluntarily give up power… Duh… Don't mess with the predetermined 'outcome' here….

I wonder if something will happen during the Olympics, like the war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008.

Whatever the outcome of the Syrian crisis is, either the Kurds will have autonomy, or Syria won't have peace. Kurdish militants don't allow the Free Syrian Army to operate in the region they control.

Fedup

The time is now to give the Kurds back it's proper country ! Pre Iraq

Nikkolas

If Kosovo can be Country 16 millions of Kurds deserve the same.

MoT

It's actually a brilliant stroke. Iraq won't even recognize a kurdish state even with all the lies about freedom that Washington babbles about. The Syrians have kept the lid on for decades. And with Turkey giving the FSA goons territory to opperate out of what was Syria supposed to do? So now the Kurds will have every reason to keep the FSA and anyone like them out of the area. Interesting.

pendulum

Ergodan is sputtering and spitting red faced as Assad lights up a havana

Toba

Outstanding! " Good move" by Assad. I wondered if any of the Western brain trusts and reactionaries who started this mess ever thought about this ? Bet you they didn't . Well boys good luck trying to control the situation now and methinks even larger amounts of US taxpayers money won't buy the Kurds now.

Doug_in_Indiana

This is a great plan, not to be left to some Syrian. It is time for USA to send Hilary over to lay out the political boundaries. The Brits did it a hundred or so years back when Gertrude Bell drew the borders of Iraq. HC is just as qualified since she has been on trips to the Middle East and has a political science degree to boot. Don't need much more expertise than that and how could BO's crew do any worse than the English? So, give her a big map sheet and some crayons and put her to work creating a new Deeeeee..mocracy.

Ben_C

Perhaps Mrs. Clinton can travel to Syria and lead her 'peaceful protesters' in Aleppo this weekend…

mlnw

A very smart political and military move. However Turkey or the US may spin it, 1) it is a democratic concession that calls their bluff on the "democracy-human rights" issue; 2) it puts military and political pressure on Turkey vis a vis its own Kurdish problem, i.e., to distract their attention, and as many expect, result in Turkey committing more human rights violations against the Kurds; and, 3) it releases the pressure on the Syrian military by removing one border or front that they need to protect and commit troops to, thus allowing them to mop up in Damascus and shut down the rebels in Aleppo.

What Syria could be doing, is getting their minorities and also the middle class in Damascus and Aleppo that up to now has supported the government, to speak out, and with respect to their Christian minorities, have them reach out and contact their brethren in the US and the rest of the West to help communicate their message. So, for example the Syrian churches could contact groups like the National Council of Churches for help, and even publish an open letter to the NGOs (including Amnesty International, which has turned out to be a shill for the State Department).
My sense is that they absolutely abhor the violence and attribute it to a invading rebels and US "counterterrorist" special ops forces primarily coming from abroad, and funded, supplied, and coordinated by the US, NATO in Southern Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Al Qaeda from the Gulf States or who were previously in Libya.

The U.S. has talked a "human rights game" but has done the opposite here, and doesn't care what the people of Syria really want. With more and more people seeing through MSM smoke and mirrors propaganda, the Administration will be shooting itself in both feet.